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Sweetwater is proud to share that Founder and Chairman of the Board Chuck Surack and CEO/President Mike Clem have both been named to the 2026 Indiana 250, honoring the state's most influential and impactful leaders across business, government, and nonprofit sectors. Now in its fifth year, the Indiana 250 recognizes leaders whose impact extends beyond the organizations they lead and into the communities they serve. IBJ Media's editorial teams at the Indianapolis Business Journal, Inside INdiana Business, and The Indiana Lawyer spend months researching, consulting community leaders, and evaluating nominees from across the state before finalizing the list. Chuck is recognized in the Civic Leadership category, reflecting a lifetime of investing in Fort Wayne beyond Sweetwater. After founding the company in 1979, he continued expanding his impact through Surack Enterprises and, most recently, by opening Pearl Arts in 2024, a nonprofit providing music and educational opportunities regardless of ability to pay. Mike is recognized in the Real Estate, Retail & Construction category. After joining Sweetwater in 2003 to launch its online division, he helped pioneer e-commerce in the music industry while preserving the personalized service that defines the company. As President and CEO since 2023, he now leads a nearly $2 billion business that continues to redefine music retail.
Sweetwater is proud to share that Founder and Chairman of the Board Chuck Surack and CEO/President Mike Clem have both been named to the 2026 Indiana 250, honoring the state's most influential and impactful leaders across business, government, and nonprofit sectors. Now in its fifth year, the Indiana 250 recognizes leaders whose impact extends beyond the organizations they lead and into the communities they serve. IBJ Media's editorial teams at the Indianapolis Business Journal, Inside INdiana Business, and The Indiana Lawyer spend months researching, consulting community leaders, and evaluating nominees from across the state before finalizing the list. Chuck is recognized in the Civic Leadership category, reflecting a lifetime of investing in Fort Wayne beyond Sweetwater. After founding the company in 1979, he continued expanding his impact through Surack Enterprises and, most recently, by opening Pearl Arts in 2024, a nonprofit providing music and educational opportunities regardless of ability to pay. Mike is recognized in the Real Estate, Retail & Construction category. After joining Sweetwater in 2003 to launch its online division, he helped pioneer e-commerce in the music industry while preserving the personalized service that defines the company. As President and CEO since 2023, he now leads a nearly $2 billion business that continues to redefine music retail.
Today, Sweetwater celebrated the people who make everything possible. Camp Sweetwater brought our team together for an afternoon of good food, great music, and genuine recognition. Nelson's BBQ fired up the smokers before daybreak to serve a camp-style lunch that set the tone for the whole event, and our live DJ kept the energy going from the first set to the last. The celebration also gave us a chance to pause and recognize the colleagues who lead with purpose. Sweetwater's 5 Imperatives Awards and the Manager Excellence Award highlighted teammates who consistently go above and beyond, not because they have to, but because that is simply who they are. The 2026 Battle of the Bands winner was announced to the crowd, and the Adventure in Harmony chalk art trail gave everyone a chance to experience the creativity that runs through this organization every single day. Sweetwater exists to help musicians achieve their dreams, and that work only happens because of the people behind it. Today was a reminder of just how strong that team is.Thank you to everyone who helped plan, organize, and participate in Camp Sweetwater. Here is to another year of doing what we love, together.
Camp Sweetwater: 2026 Employee Appreciation Event
Did you know there’s a world-class outdoor concert venue at Sweetwater? The Sweetwater Performance Pavilion sits right here on our campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: professional production infrastructure, lighting and sound, guest hospitality, and a calendar of nationally recognized artists — all on the same grounds where our team shows up every day. The Performance Pavilion is a natural extension of what Sweetwater has always believed, that music dreams are worth investing in and that the people who work here deserve to be surrounded by their passion. Employees receive 25% off up to four tickets per show, which makes the Pavilion a genuine workplace perk on top of everything else it represents.
Did you know there’s a world-class outdoor concert venue at Sweetwater? The Sweetwater Performance Pavilion sits right here on our campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: professional production infrastructure, lighting and sound, guest hospitality, and a calendar of nationally recognized artists — all on the same grounds where our team shows up every day. The Performance Pavilion is a natural extension of what Sweetwater has always believed, that music dreams are worth investing in and that the people who work here deserve to be surrounded by their passion. Employees receive 25% off up to four tickets per show, which makes the Pavilion a genuine workplace perk on top of everything else it represents.
Sweetwater’s YouTube channel has officially crossed the one million subscriber mark! This milestone belongs entirely to the community that has been watching, learning, and growing with us for more than 17 years. To celebrate, Sweetwater brought together some of its most iconic content creators for an all-star performance of Rush’s classic “Tom Sawyer,” plus a roundtable discussion that takes a look back at the moments and memories that made this channel what it is today. Thank you for every view, every comment, and every share that helped us build something truly special.
1M Subs = Rush "Tom Sawyer" & Much More!
Sweetwater is proud to announce a new milestone, ranking number four overall in the 2026 Top 100 North America Inspiring Workplaces Awards. Sweetwater is the highest-ranked retailer on this year's list and the best-ranked company in Indiana, climbing five spots from ninth place in 2025. Sweetwater also earned four special recognition awards covering culture and purpose, employee experience, inclusion, and wellbeing. “This ranking reflects something we think about every day,” said Sweetwater CEO Mike Clem. “A great customer experience starts with a great employee experience.” Sweetwater approaches employee health intentionally across five key areas, including mental, physical, financial, social, and professional health. That means free on-campus mental health counseling, a fully equipped fitness center, an on-site medical clinic, monthly financial education sessions, education reimbursement with deferred payment options, and company-wide events that bring the whole Sweetwater family together. None of this happens by accident. It happens because the people here are committed to building something special together every single day.
Sweetwater is proud to announce a new milestone, ranking number four overall in the 2026 Top 100 North America Inspiring Workplaces Awards. Sweetwater is the highest-ranked retailer on this year's list and the best-ranked company in Indiana, climbing five spots from ninth place in 2025. Sweetwater also earned four special recognition awards covering culture and purpose, employee experience, inclusion, and wellbeing. “This ranking reflects something we think about every day,” said Sweetwater CEO Mike Clem. “A great customer experience starts with a great employee experience.” Sweetwater approaches employee health intentionally across five key areas, including mental, physical, financial, social, and professional health. That means free on-campus mental health counseling, a fully equipped fitness center, an on-site medical clinic, monthly financial education sessions, education reimbursement with deferred payment options, and company-wide events that bring the whole Sweetwater family together. None of this happens by accident. It happens because the people here are committed to building something special together every single day.
We recently hosted another session of our Food for Thought Lunch and Learn series, bringing employees together for a panel discussion centered on professional growth and what it means to live the Sweetwater Difference. The session, titled “From Skill to Success: Learning Through the 5 Imperatives,” featured a panel of Sweetwater team members from across the organization who shared how mastering their individual skills helped them navigate their careers, tackle real challenges, and make meaningful impacts. The discussion was grounded in the five values that define how Sweetwater operates: Wow the Customer, Get Things Done, Obsess over Details, Drive Continuous Improvement, and Develop the Future. Watching colleagues share their stories with a full room of peers was a reminder that career growth rarely happens in a straight line. It happens when people invest in their craft, stay curious, and lean into the values that guide the work every day.
We recently hosted another session of our Food for Thought Lunch and Learn series, bringing employees together for a panel discussion centered on professional growth and what it means to live the Sweetwater Difference. The session, titled “From Skill to Success: Learning Through the 5 Imperatives,” featured a panel of Sweetwater team members from across the organization who shared how mastering their individual skills helped them navigate their careers, tackle real challenges, and make meaningful impacts. The discussion was grounded in the five values that define how Sweetwater operates: Wow the Customer, Get Things Done, Obsess over Details, Drive Continuous Improvement, and Develop the Future. Watching colleagues share their stories with a full room of peers was a reminder that career growth rarely happens in a straight line. It happens when people invest in their craft, stay curious, and lean into the values that guide the work every day.
Sweetwater CIO Jason Johnson is featured in a new piece from CIO on why cloud strategies have never been more complex or more critical. Jason puts it plainly: "The conversation has shifted from 'should we?' to 'how do we get better at it?' That's where I spend most of my time." As AI accelerates cloud demand and providers keep expanding their catalogs, Jason calls today's environment "genuinely one of the more complex times to be managing cloud." Keeping up isn't just a technical challenge; it's a strategic one. For Sweetwater, that means a clear-eyed focus on the second phase of cloud maturity: moving beyond migration and modernization toward optimization, governance, AI enablement, and operational sustainability, with every workload placed where it makes the most sense.
Cloud strategies have become more complicated than ever
As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, we are reflecting on a month centered around supporting the wellbeing of our employees and the broader music community. This month, Sweetwater was honored to receive the 2026 Gold Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health from Mental Health America, recognizing our ongoing commitment to creating a supportive, people-first workplace culture. Throughout May, employees participated in a variety of internal wellness initiatives and activities focused on mental health, connection, balance, and personal wellbeing, including our fourth annual Be Well Expo. This year’s event featured more than 50 community partners and vendors, interactive experiences, wellness resources, screenings, demonstrations, chair massages, giveaways, and more than $8,000 in prizes. The Expo also created meaningful opportunities for employees to connect with local nonprofits, volunteer organizations, and resources that support wellbeing both inside and outside the workplace. We were also proud to support MusiCares Mindful May in New Orleans, helping to create space for music professionals to focus on restoration, resilience, and mental wellness through meaningful programming and community support. Mental health is not a one-month conversation. Continuing to create environments where people feel supported, heard, and cared for remains deeply important to us all.
As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, we are reflecting on a month centered around supporting the wellbeing of our employees and the broader music community. This month, Sweetwater was honored to receive the 2026 Gold Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health from Mental Health America, recognizing our ongoing commitment to creating a supportive, people-first workplace culture. Throughout May, employees participated in a variety of internal wellness initiatives and activities focused on mental health, connection, balance, and personal wellbeing, including our fourth annual Be Well Expo. This year’s event featured more than 50 community partners and vendors, interactive experiences, wellness resources, screenings, demonstrations, chair massages, giveaways, and more than $8,000 in prizes. The Expo also created meaningful opportunities for employees to connect with local nonprofits, volunteer organizations, and resources that support wellbeing both inside and outside the workplace. We were also proud to support MusiCares Mindful May in New Orleans, helping to create space for music professionals to focus on restoration, resilience, and mental wellness through meaningful programming and community support. Mental health is not a one-month conversation. Continuing to create environments where people feel supported, heard, and cared for remains deeply important to us all.
The recent Sweetwater National Band Expo brought together musicians, students, parents, and educators from across the country for an unforgettable experience centered around growth and opportunity through music. From piccolo to tuba, attendees explored an incredible range of step-up woodwind and brass instruments side by side, connected directly with manufacturer representatives, and took advantage of special pricing and financing offers designed to make advanced instruments more accessible. We’re grateful to the many manufacturers, representatives, and Music for All leaders who helped make the event so meaningful for everyone who attended.
The recent Sweetwater National Band Expo brought together musicians, students, parents, and educators from across the country for an unforgettable experience centered around growth and opportunity through music. From piccolo to tuba, attendees explored an incredible range of step-up woodwind and brass instruments side by side, connected directly with manufacturer representatives, and took advantage of special pricing and financing offers designed to make advanced instruments more accessible. We’re grateful to the many manufacturers, representatives, and Music for All leaders who helped make the event so meaningful for everyone who attended.
In a recent conversation with Thirty Minute Mentors host Adam Mendler, a nationally recognized leadership expert, Sweetwater Chief People & Culture Officer Jeff Ostermann shared perspectives on leadership, workplace conflict, and building cultures rooted in trust and communication. One idea stood out: conflict is not the problem, avoiding it is. Strong organizations create space for honest conversations, accountability, empathy, and active listening long before challenges become larger issues.
Interview: Sweetwater Chief People Officer Jeff Ostermann